Post by Commissioner Erick on Dec 23, 2023 13:23:33 GMT -5
A bunch of good hitters passed through the West Indies this year, and defense wasn’t great leading to inflated offenses and BABIPs. Here are the best of the best for the league this year.
1B: Antonio Matos—Brewers
A high school slugging prospect, Matos was taken in the 15th round in 2027 and was largely a bit player for three seasons before crushing the Dominican League in his first go as a starter last year. He got called up to Short-A this year and led the West Indies in average with a .362 mark. He had more walks than strikeouts and popped 10 homers as well. He led the league in OBP and OPS as well.
Matos’ eye and hit tool are coming along and he’s starting to find himself on the radar of scouts, with everyone seeing at least a Triple-A player, and OSA perhaps sensing a PBA future. He’s starting to show an advanced bat for the low minors and may be promoted to Double-A next year.
1B: Jonathan Caillaud—Reds
Caillaud was discovered out of Haiti in 2026 and debuted in the Dominican League in 2028. He had two tough years in Rookie Ball, but was solid for Cuba last year and then led the league in homers this year with 21. He also drove in 48, and his 16 doubles and .275 average gave him a league-leading .581 slugging mark.
Caillaud has huge power, but doesn’t have the quickest bat, limiting his average and bumping his strikeout totals. He probably won’t hit enough to make the PBA, especially as he has no speed or defensive skills. He should make full time ball next year and hit enough to cause problems in A-ball.
2B: Rodolfo Garcia—Reds
An international scouting discovery in 2027, Garcia was incubated in the international complex until this year when he made the jump directly to Short-A. All he did at the level was hit .340 with 10 doubles, 13 homers, and a league-leading 53 driven in. He did it all as a 20-year-old Second Baseman.
OSA thinks Garcia has an adequate hit tool, but he’s not a great defense, not a great runner, and scouts don’t see him producing much aside from a solid average. He looks like a player who will top out at Triple-A or go to the Meridian League and have a solid showing.
SS: Phillip MacDonald—Braves
Macdonald led the league in WAR last year, returned this year, and led the league in WAR again. Most of his stats were similar, but slightly worse to last year, but still paint a picture of a complete player. MacDonald hit .259 with 18 doubles, 12 homers, 49 RBIs, five steals, and he led the league in Zone Rating.
MacDonald doesn’t have PBA potential, so this is the high mark of his career, but as was written in last year’s writeup, he deserves a chance to play full time ball. He has nothing left to prove in the Caribbean and should be in A-ball next year.
SS: Manny Cena—Angels
Cena doesn’t do much of anything well with the bat as both his OBP and SLG were sub-.300. He didn’t homer once, and while his defense was solid, the poor bat led to a negative WAR season. What Cena did do well was run—23 steals in 26 attempts to lead the league.
Aside from the disappearance of three homers, Cena’s stats all improved this year, but he doesn’t have the brightest baseball future. With wheels and a glove, plus the ability to improve, he should stick around as, at worst, a backup infielder. Los Angeles should keep him in Trinidad for another year.
CF: Franklin de los Santos—Braves
De los Santos led the West Indies in Doubles with 28 as a keynote in a successful first pro campaign. A scouting find out of the Dominican Republic in 2028, he hit .328 this year, stole a half dozen bases, and manned Center Field reasonably well. Atlanta has to feel good about their discovery.
De Los Santos still needs defensive reps and will likely move to a corner spot. He runs okay and hits okay, but at maturity, scouts see him as mostly a Double-A player. It wouldn’t be terrible for Atlanta to get him another year in Barbados, and he’ll likely wind up terrorizing High-A and Double-A for most of his career.
RP: Micah Davies—Milwaukee
A scouting discovery out of the Virgin Islands in 2026, Davies has been pitching as a pro since 2027. He made his way up to full season A-ball quickly, but has oscillated between A-ball and Short-A most of his career. He led the West Indies in ERA with a 2.43 ERA and only had five walks in 63 innings.
He’d had a rough career before 2030 when he had a positive WAR season if a high 4.72 ERA. He has decent stuff and control for the low minors, but is homer prone and vulnerable to luck on fly balls. He doesn’t have the talent to pitch above A-ball, but after the past year, should be allowed to pitch in full season A-ball full time.
SP: Mito Inouye—Royals
The Japanese native led the league in wins, going 8-4 in 15 starts. While he had a 4.20 ERA, he was done in by a .345 BABIP against. A strong strikeout, walk, and homer rate led to 1.6 WAR.
Inouye has had an interesting career. He was a second round in 2026—by the Hanshin Tigers. Released that offseason, he bounced around the Japanese minors until signing in France with the Bombers in 2027. He went 4-5 there with a 4.30 ERA, striking out 102 in 88 innings out of the pen. He signed with Italy in 2027 but never pitched for them in 2028 and 2029 despite being healthy. Kansas City snapped him up a few weeks later, and while he only pitched once in 2029, he was strong as a starter for Idaho Falls in 2030. He throws four pitches including a live fastball, but doesn’t have the command to make it above the low minors, so he may be on the move again in the near future.
SP: Emmanuel Reyes—Twins
Reyes led the Caribbean with 96.2 innings, helping him lead the league in WAR with 3.2. IT was a very successful year as he went 7-2 with a 2.89 ERA. He allowed just four homers and six walks, striking out 100 batters. His final start at the level was a one-run Complete Game of Trinidad. He got called up to Cedar Rapids to make one start in September and he went 6.2 shutout there.
Reyes has a live fastball and moving sinker that he uses to miss bats and avoid hard contact. A scouting discovery in 2026, he has a distant shot at a PBA future, particularly as a reliever. Both Eddy Rodriguez and his statistical output believe that Reyes is fairly far along. He should be pitching in High-A at least in 2031.
SP: Dan Carsley—Royals
A 24th round pick in 2026, Carsley has spent a ton of time in the low minors without too much success. He had a decent 2029 in Burlington before being called up to Puerto Rico, where he had a 2.61 ERA and 16 saves this year. He only allowed one homer, and struck out 43 in 31 innings.
Carsley throws four pitches, but only his fastball grades out as plus, and he doesn’t get much movement. Eddy Rodriguez is more positive than OSA, but both agree that Short-A is probably the end of the line for Carsley. Currently 26, he’s nearing the end of the road.
SP: Joel Shields—Royals
Joel Shields was appropriately named. He shielded his team from balls in play by leading the league in strikeouts with 110, a top-10 number all time. A 22nd round pick in 2028, Shields pitched out of the pen in rookie ball, improving each season and getting the call to Short-A this year. He worked out of the rotation and thrived, with an 8-3 record and a 2.70 ERA. He even pitched well in this year’s playoffs.
Shields can touch 97 and has a good slider, and that destroys low minors pitching. He doesn’t have great control though, and should struggle at higher levels. OSA thinks Shields’ stuff is a bit worse and his movement a bit better than Eddy Rodriguez, but he’s an arm that should top out at A-ball. Nonetheless, he’s been a nice find as a late draft pick leading Kansas City’s Short-A affiliate to success.
RP: Victor Banks—Brewers
Victor Banks led the West Indies in FIP and it’s easy to see why. A former 23rd round pick in 2028, Banks has pitched in Dominica for four seasons. He’s always had great stuff, with a devastating curveball and changeup that are too much for youngsters to handle. He was excellent last year out of the pen, but moved into a starting role this year, he kept the strikeouts, continued to avoid homers, and had a devastating walk rate. Only an elevated BABIP kept him from dominating the league.
Banks doesn’t have a big league future, but stuff like his will play in the mid-minors. He may end up transitioning to the pen, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him topping out at Double-A and being reasonably successful.
LF Zach Baldwin—Twins
A second round pick by Minnesota this year, Baldwin did not take to the league. He played in 60 games, but only hit .240 with five doubles and three homers. He didn’t run, and while his arm was good in Right Field, his range wasn’t. A lot of early picks stopped through the West Indies Short League this year and produced, so it was disappointing Baldwin didn’t. He still ended up with an All-Star nod at the level, but put up negative WAR thanks to a decent start and a brutal August.
As a college player, Baldwin should be fairly advanced. He has a decent swing for the low minors and good power. OSA sees a fringe PBA player at full potential, but Eddy Rodriguez is higher on the hit tool, thinking it should make Baldwin a platoon outfielder at worst. With the year he had last year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he repeats the level, but he could move fast through the minors if he shows success.
3B: Bobby Vasquez—Angels
A second round pick by Los Angeles in 2030, Vasquez may have been given too aggressive an assignment. He struggled to -0.8 WAR in 2030 in Trinidad behind a .262 OBP and horrible defense at Second Base. This year, he improved his average to .290, but he only walked eight times in 240 plate appearances and only hit eight doubles and three homers. His defense was mostly adequate, but not great.
OSA scouts have really soured on Vasquez since he was drafted. The plus hit tool projected is gone, the power has eroded to doubles power, and with Vasquez having to start his swing earlier to compensate, the selectivity isn’t there either. He looks like a total bust who will spend his career at Short-A.
SP: Josh Barch—White Sox
A fifth round pick of Chicago this year, Barch has pitched reasonably well, yet still carried high ERAs across two levels this year. His underlying metrics aren’t too bad, but he’s been extremely hittable. He gave up a .400 BABIP in Great Falls leading to a 5.88 ERA, then a .431 BABIP for Haiti leading to a 6.13 ERA.
Barch is a college arm out of the University of Kentucky, so he’s fairly advanced in keeping the ball down and throwing strikes. The main question is with the stuff. Mostly throwing in the low 90s, he may be hit hard by better hitting. Both OSA and Eddy Rodriguez think Barch is fairly advanced and could either spend another year in Short-A or pitch in regular A-ball next year, and they both think he’s a fringe PBA candidate, with the ability to miss bats the potential limiting factor.
RP: Danny Santana—Dodgers
A scouting discovery in 2028, Santana hasn’t developed exceptionally well for the Dodgers. Once a fringe PBA candidate, he’s pitched himself off of scout’s radars. In his first pro year, he walked 25 and only struck out 22 in 29.1 innings for the Steel Pans.
Both OSA and Eddy Rodriguez find Santana very raw and believe he needs time in rookie ball. The caliber of his arm pans out more to a Double-A upside than a PBA upside as well. Still only 19, he’ll need to find his confidence again if he wants to put up positive WAR seasons and ERA’s under 6.
1B: Antonio Matos—Brewers
A high school slugging prospect, Matos was taken in the 15th round in 2027 and was largely a bit player for three seasons before crushing the Dominican League in his first go as a starter last year. He got called up to Short-A this year and led the West Indies in average with a .362 mark. He had more walks than strikeouts and popped 10 homers as well. He led the league in OBP and OPS as well.
Matos’ eye and hit tool are coming along and he’s starting to find himself on the radar of scouts, with everyone seeing at least a Triple-A player, and OSA perhaps sensing a PBA future. He’s starting to show an advanced bat for the low minors and may be promoted to Double-A next year.
1B: Jonathan Caillaud—Reds
Caillaud was discovered out of Haiti in 2026 and debuted in the Dominican League in 2028. He had two tough years in Rookie Ball, but was solid for Cuba last year and then led the league in homers this year with 21. He also drove in 48, and his 16 doubles and .275 average gave him a league-leading .581 slugging mark.
Caillaud has huge power, but doesn’t have the quickest bat, limiting his average and bumping his strikeout totals. He probably won’t hit enough to make the PBA, especially as he has no speed or defensive skills. He should make full time ball next year and hit enough to cause problems in A-ball.
2B: Rodolfo Garcia—Reds
An international scouting discovery in 2027, Garcia was incubated in the international complex until this year when he made the jump directly to Short-A. All he did at the level was hit .340 with 10 doubles, 13 homers, and a league-leading 53 driven in. He did it all as a 20-year-old Second Baseman.
OSA thinks Garcia has an adequate hit tool, but he’s not a great defense, not a great runner, and scouts don’t see him producing much aside from a solid average. He looks like a player who will top out at Triple-A or go to the Meridian League and have a solid showing.
SS: Phillip MacDonald—Braves
Macdonald led the league in WAR last year, returned this year, and led the league in WAR again. Most of his stats were similar, but slightly worse to last year, but still paint a picture of a complete player. MacDonald hit .259 with 18 doubles, 12 homers, 49 RBIs, five steals, and he led the league in Zone Rating.
MacDonald doesn’t have PBA potential, so this is the high mark of his career, but as was written in last year’s writeup, he deserves a chance to play full time ball. He has nothing left to prove in the Caribbean and should be in A-ball next year.
SS: Manny Cena—Angels
Cena doesn’t do much of anything well with the bat as both his OBP and SLG were sub-.300. He didn’t homer once, and while his defense was solid, the poor bat led to a negative WAR season. What Cena did do well was run—23 steals in 26 attempts to lead the league.
Aside from the disappearance of three homers, Cena’s stats all improved this year, but he doesn’t have the brightest baseball future. With wheels and a glove, plus the ability to improve, he should stick around as, at worst, a backup infielder. Los Angeles should keep him in Trinidad for another year.
CF: Franklin de los Santos—Braves
De los Santos led the West Indies in Doubles with 28 as a keynote in a successful first pro campaign. A scouting find out of the Dominican Republic in 2028, he hit .328 this year, stole a half dozen bases, and manned Center Field reasonably well. Atlanta has to feel good about their discovery.
De Los Santos still needs defensive reps and will likely move to a corner spot. He runs okay and hits okay, but at maturity, scouts see him as mostly a Double-A player. It wouldn’t be terrible for Atlanta to get him another year in Barbados, and he’ll likely wind up terrorizing High-A and Double-A for most of his career.
RP: Micah Davies—Milwaukee
A scouting discovery out of the Virgin Islands in 2026, Davies has been pitching as a pro since 2027. He made his way up to full season A-ball quickly, but has oscillated between A-ball and Short-A most of his career. He led the West Indies in ERA with a 2.43 ERA and only had five walks in 63 innings.
He’d had a rough career before 2030 when he had a positive WAR season if a high 4.72 ERA. He has decent stuff and control for the low minors, but is homer prone and vulnerable to luck on fly balls. He doesn’t have the talent to pitch above A-ball, but after the past year, should be allowed to pitch in full season A-ball full time.
SP: Mito Inouye—Royals
The Japanese native led the league in wins, going 8-4 in 15 starts. While he had a 4.20 ERA, he was done in by a .345 BABIP against. A strong strikeout, walk, and homer rate led to 1.6 WAR.
Inouye has had an interesting career. He was a second round in 2026—by the Hanshin Tigers. Released that offseason, he bounced around the Japanese minors until signing in France with the Bombers in 2027. He went 4-5 there with a 4.30 ERA, striking out 102 in 88 innings out of the pen. He signed with Italy in 2027 but never pitched for them in 2028 and 2029 despite being healthy. Kansas City snapped him up a few weeks later, and while he only pitched once in 2029, he was strong as a starter for Idaho Falls in 2030. He throws four pitches including a live fastball, but doesn’t have the command to make it above the low minors, so he may be on the move again in the near future.
SP: Emmanuel Reyes—Twins
Reyes led the Caribbean with 96.2 innings, helping him lead the league in WAR with 3.2. IT was a very successful year as he went 7-2 with a 2.89 ERA. He allowed just four homers and six walks, striking out 100 batters. His final start at the level was a one-run Complete Game of Trinidad. He got called up to Cedar Rapids to make one start in September and he went 6.2 shutout there.
Reyes has a live fastball and moving sinker that he uses to miss bats and avoid hard contact. A scouting discovery in 2026, he has a distant shot at a PBA future, particularly as a reliever. Both Eddy Rodriguez and his statistical output believe that Reyes is fairly far along. He should be pitching in High-A at least in 2031.
SP: Dan Carsley—Royals
A 24th round pick in 2026, Carsley has spent a ton of time in the low minors without too much success. He had a decent 2029 in Burlington before being called up to Puerto Rico, where he had a 2.61 ERA and 16 saves this year. He only allowed one homer, and struck out 43 in 31 innings.
Carsley throws four pitches, but only his fastball grades out as plus, and he doesn’t get much movement. Eddy Rodriguez is more positive than OSA, but both agree that Short-A is probably the end of the line for Carsley. Currently 26, he’s nearing the end of the road.
SP: Joel Shields—Royals
Joel Shields was appropriately named. He shielded his team from balls in play by leading the league in strikeouts with 110, a top-10 number all time. A 22nd round pick in 2028, Shields pitched out of the pen in rookie ball, improving each season and getting the call to Short-A this year. He worked out of the rotation and thrived, with an 8-3 record and a 2.70 ERA. He even pitched well in this year’s playoffs.
Shields can touch 97 and has a good slider, and that destroys low minors pitching. He doesn’t have great control though, and should struggle at higher levels. OSA thinks Shields’ stuff is a bit worse and his movement a bit better than Eddy Rodriguez, but he’s an arm that should top out at A-ball. Nonetheless, he’s been a nice find as a late draft pick leading Kansas City’s Short-A affiliate to success.
RP: Victor Banks—Brewers
Victor Banks led the West Indies in FIP and it’s easy to see why. A former 23rd round pick in 2028, Banks has pitched in Dominica for four seasons. He’s always had great stuff, with a devastating curveball and changeup that are too much for youngsters to handle. He was excellent last year out of the pen, but moved into a starting role this year, he kept the strikeouts, continued to avoid homers, and had a devastating walk rate. Only an elevated BABIP kept him from dominating the league.
Banks doesn’t have a big league future, but stuff like his will play in the mid-minors. He may end up transitioning to the pen, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him topping out at Double-A and being reasonably successful.
LF Zach Baldwin—Twins
A second round pick by Minnesota this year, Baldwin did not take to the league. He played in 60 games, but only hit .240 with five doubles and three homers. He didn’t run, and while his arm was good in Right Field, his range wasn’t. A lot of early picks stopped through the West Indies Short League this year and produced, so it was disappointing Baldwin didn’t. He still ended up with an All-Star nod at the level, but put up negative WAR thanks to a decent start and a brutal August.
As a college player, Baldwin should be fairly advanced. He has a decent swing for the low minors and good power. OSA sees a fringe PBA player at full potential, but Eddy Rodriguez is higher on the hit tool, thinking it should make Baldwin a platoon outfielder at worst. With the year he had last year, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he repeats the level, but he could move fast through the minors if he shows success.
3B: Bobby Vasquez—Angels
A second round pick by Los Angeles in 2030, Vasquez may have been given too aggressive an assignment. He struggled to -0.8 WAR in 2030 in Trinidad behind a .262 OBP and horrible defense at Second Base. This year, he improved his average to .290, but he only walked eight times in 240 plate appearances and only hit eight doubles and three homers. His defense was mostly adequate, but not great.
OSA scouts have really soured on Vasquez since he was drafted. The plus hit tool projected is gone, the power has eroded to doubles power, and with Vasquez having to start his swing earlier to compensate, the selectivity isn’t there either. He looks like a total bust who will spend his career at Short-A.
SP: Josh Barch—White Sox
A fifth round pick of Chicago this year, Barch has pitched reasonably well, yet still carried high ERAs across two levels this year. His underlying metrics aren’t too bad, but he’s been extremely hittable. He gave up a .400 BABIP in Great Falls leading to a 5.88 ERA, then a .431 BABIP for Haiti leading to a 6.13 ERA.
Barch is a college arm out of the University of Kentucky, so he’s fairly advanced in keeping the ball down and throwing strikes. The main question is with the stuff. Mostly throwing in the low 90s, he may be hit hard by better hitting. Both OSA and Eddy Rodriguez think Barch is fairly advanced and could either spend another year in Short-A or pitch in regular A-ball next year, and they both think he’s a fringe PBA candidate, with the ability to miss bats the potential limiting factor.
RP: Danny Santana—Dodgers
A scouting discovery in 2028, Santana hasn’t developed exceptionally well for the Dodgers. Once a fringe PBA candidate, he’s pitched himself off of scout’s radars. In his first pro year, he walked 25 and only struck out 22 in 29.1 innings for the Steel Pans.
Both OSA and Eddy Rodriguez find Santana very raw and believe he needs time in rookie ball. The caliber of his arm pans out more to a Double-A upside than a PBA upside as well. Still only 19, he’ll need to find his confidence again if he wants to put up positive WAR seasons and ERA’s under 6.